RivCo Amazon Warehouse Workers Have Walked Off The Job. Here's Why

RIVERSIDE, CA — More than 50 Amazon employees seeking to unionize walked off the job early Tuesday morning at a Riverside delivery facility, according to the Teamsters.

The overnight walkout marked what union leaders say is the beginning of a new organizing drive for Amazon workers in the Inland Empire, under which workers are demanding better working conditions and pay for the value they bring to the e-commerce giant.

Workers at the Krameria Avenue facility in Riverside, dubbed DJT6 by insiders, announced the start of their organizing effort under the banner of Amazon Teamsters after a majority of employees left their night shift at 1:55 a.m., according to the Inland Empire Amazon Workers group.

“Amazon workers keep this company running,” the group said in a statement. “For too long Amazon has failed as an employer. By standing together, workers at DJT6 and elsewhere are showing we’re ready to fight for the respect and dignity we deserve.”

Eileen Hards, an Amazon spokesperson, told The Press-Enterprise that the walkout is another example of Teamsters "continuing illegal efforts to intimidate workers, block entry and exit to our facilities and interfere with our operations.”

Hards says less than 1 percent of the facility's workers walked off the job on Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, Robert Gonzalez, communications coordinator for Teamsters Local 1932, told the newspaper that most of the night shift participated in the walkout.

“...we want a say in our working conditions and stable means to provide for ourselves and our families. Amazon keeps pushing us to our limits, and we’re done being ignored," Amazon warehouse worker Samuel Padilla said in a Teamsters news release.

The Riverside action follows organizing efforts at four other Southern California Amazon facilities where workers have already unionized with the Teamsters, including KSBD in San Bernardino, DAX5 in the City of Industry, DFX4 in Victorville and DAX8 in Palmdale.

"During the holidays, DJT6 workers play a crucial role not only for Amazon, but for millions of people across Southern California," said Randy Korgan, director of the Teamsters Amazon Division and Secretary-Treasurer of Local 1932. "They are done having their concerns go unnoticed by management and are taking the next steps toward having the full weight and support of the Teamsters behind them."

Organizers said the DJT6 walkout is part of a broader national movement, noting that nearly 10,000 Amazon workers across the country have mobilized and joined the Teamsters.

No additional details about the duration of the walkout or Amazon’s response were immediately available.

Amazon is the second-largest employer in Riverside County.